Amazon to begin Sunday delivery, partnering with the Postal Service

Looking to accelerate its dominance in online retail with a combination of speed and convenience, Amazon.com announced that it will begin delivery of packages on Sunday, working in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service.

The new program will start on Nov. 17th in New York and Los Angeles, with Amazon saying that it will roll out to a large portion of the population in the U.S. next year. Amazon plans to deliver items to the Postal Service on Saturday, with carriers then delivering the items to customers’ doorsteps on Sunday.

The Wall Street Journal reports that it marks the “first large foray into Sunday delivery” for the Postal Service, offering a much needed financial boost to the struggling agency. It also offers Amazon the ability to get products to consumers even faster, something it has been working on in recent years with new fulfillment centers near urban centers.

Amazon already offers some Sunday delivery in Seattle and L.A. through its Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service, but the promise of getting other packages to consumers’ doorsteps on Sunday could be a huge win for the company as it battles traditional brick-and-mortar retailers.

FedEx and UPS also partner with Amazon.com on package delivery, but they don’t run doorstep deliveries on Sunday, according to the L.A. Times. Dave Clark, Amazon’s vice president of worldwide operations and customer service, tells the L.A. Times that Sunday delivery will be “hard for others to replicate.”

“If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can order a backpack for your child on Friday and be packing it for them Sunday night,” said Clark in a press release. . “We’re excited that now every day is an Amazon delivery day and we know our Prime members, who voraciously shop on Amazon, will love the additional convenience they will experience as part of this new service.”

The Sunday delivery also will apply to non-Prime members.

Added Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Postal Service:

“As online shopping continues to increase, the Postal Service is very happy to offer shippers like Amazon the option of having packages delivered on Sunday. With this new service, the Postal Service is now delivering packages seven days a week in select cities. Customers can expect the same reliable and valued service that the Postal Service currently provides.”

After starting in Los Angeles and New York, the service will then roll out to Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix. Amazon customers will have the option to add items to their online shipping carts, viewing Sunday delivery as an option at checkout when it is available in the region.